Job-hunting is often like losing weight in the sense we are always our own worst enemy. It would be very odd for someone to actively try to prevent you from losing weight, so the only thing between you and weight loss is you! The same is true for job hunting. Countless times in my life I have got discouraged about not being in the right job and was often quick to blame anyone besides me. I blamed the economy, Congress, my school, my boss, and anything/anyone else. It took me a long time to realize that I was always my own worst enemy. Much like that person dedicated to getting in shape I’d get really excited at first. I’d apply to a bunch of jobs four days in a row much like joining a gym then going 4 straight days.
Then I’d get tired and give myself a few days off or worse I’d get very discouraged because I had not received any interviews. Knowing I had to have some type of measuring stick to motivate myself I would set application goals for each week and month then nearly break my arm patting myself on the back when I hit my goals. Predictably months went by with no leads or interviews. I was the person who hit their gym attendance goal, didn’t change their diet, and was dismayed when the scale did not move.
Finally I realized that proper job hunting meant leaning on contacts, meeting new contacts, perfecting my resume, and doing things the right way with the steadfast spirit. The only problem was that I once again quickly became my own worst enemy. Doing things the right way was not the fastest way, and I quickly became discouraged again. I would complain to mentors and friends that I was doing the right things, but the interviews were not coming.
A good friend of mine taught me to track non-tangible results. Sure it felt good to count all the job applications I had completed, but I needed to also count and track all the people I had met. I began to log all interactions and brainstorm future questions and interactions. I set ‘investigation’ goals to find people at desired organizations and meet them.
I stopped becoming my own worst enemy because my spirits stayed high. I was able to see on paper all that I was accomplishing and took faith that the job would come. Just like the person who would change their diet, track what they ate every day, and stopped becoming a slave to the scale because they had proof on paper they were doing the right things. That person is going to lose weight at some point and because of the habits they have developed will keep the weight off. The same was true in my job hunt because I did things the right way and tracked it to keep my spirits up the right jobs have come my way and I have developed the appropriate habits to grow my career.